Restoran LYJ

To begin, I have heard much too many good things about this restaurant while I was in Melbourne. People praised, exalted even the food at this restaurant. Some say it is the best Chinese restaurant in Malaysia that they have ever been to, a serious claim considering the sheer number of Chinese restaurants in this country and the frequency they frequent these restaurants. Nonetheless, it sounded too good to be true. Hence I was a strong sceptic.

As if the bar was not high enough to begin with, my family arranged that LYJ be the venue for my welcoming dinner. After months of continual craving for Malaysian cuisine, this was chosen as the place for me to open my floodgates of desire. I went to the restaurant with hopes of stuffing myself silly with a stellar dinner.

The first impression I got upon arrival is that the place looks like crap, and I do not mean that in a good way. Certain restaurants look crappy, but rightfully so. Such places look crappy but homely. You can sense the history and the experience of the restaurant in every piece of plank with rusty nails and every piece of almost decrepit furniture. This place, on the other hand, looks very mechanical, frigid and just devoid of any soul. It seems that its only purpose is as an eating place. Nothing else whatsoever.

Crappy decor.

Fortunately, I cannot say the same about the food. Calling this place "good" does not do it justice. I shall explain in the detailed review below.

Standing chicken.

Dad in the background.

Mom going at the chicken.

The famous standing chicken is one of the star attractions at LYJ. After months of being tagged in Facebook on the carcasses of impaled chickens did arouse the curiosity in me. To be honest, the cynic in me wanted a taste of this dish as I have had many experiences with Chinese styled roasted chicken and none of them are good. Chickens cooked this way are usually completely devoid of moisture, resulting in almost unpalatable chunks of dry, hard, white meat.

Unfortunately, I was right about the chicken. Although the skin was a lot crispier and tastier than any other I have tasted, the meat was still dry as husk in many parts, especially the breast. The fortunate part was, there were parts of the chicken which were still tender. The thighs downwards, the wings, the ribs were still good, and those were the pieces I enjoyed.

Another disappointment was the chilli sauce that came with the chicken. It had a very artificial taste to it which I can only describe as plastic-y. There is no real flavour to it and the chicken was way better off on its own.

Fried lala with ginger and spring onion.

The fried lala with ginger and spring onion was good. It would be better if more than half of the shells were not empty. The lala were really big, fresh, succulent and juicy. Luckily, the sauce was not bombarded with salt and other seasonings, thus, the clammy flavour of the lala was preserved. However, the sauce was too starchy and thick. Most of the sauce was stuck to the plate rather than to a lala, making me think that the ginger and spring onion were redundant.

Fried kailan with yellow wine.

This is definitely one of the best fried vegetable dishes I have ever eaten. The fragrance of the cooking wine is balanced with the savoury sauces, a perfect combination with the slightly burnt kailan. The most important aspect of frying vegetables Chinese style is a strong flame, or what I call rocket fuel frying. Flash fried for slightly more than a minute, the vegetables retain the crunchiness, moisture and the attractive green colour that turns yellow if the vegetables are fried for too long. I guess I could complain that the vegetables are not burnt enough, but this is a healthier alternative. However, this is just me trying to find fault with an almost perfect dish.

Pork belly with salted fish.

This is definitely a favourite in my books. Thinly sliced strips of succulent pork belly in a claypot, seasoned with salted fish and a thick sauce. LYJ has certainly done all the right things with this dish. The saltiness is not overpowering unlike many versions of this dish that other restaurants serve. It was just right. The thing I enjoy the most would be the crispy crust on every piece of pork belly. It was just like a perfectly baked middle bacon, but with local twist. The lard and salted fish melting in your mouth is one of the best sensations in life. I could not praise this dish more without exaggerating. It is that good. In fact, it is the best version I have ever tasted.

Steamed tilapia with green sauce.

This dish, for me, would be the most underrated dish in LYJ that I have tasted. The fish itself is not the main attraction, it is just steamed without any seasoning. However, the freshness of the fish is important as the texture of the fish is paramount due to the lack of seasoning to mask the imperfections in texture. The sauce, on the other hand, works magic. I do not exactly know what is in the sauce, but I think the ingredients are calamansi, lime, mint and green chilli. The sauce is just a perfectly balanced combination of sweet, sour and spicy.

I can imagine this dish being served in small portions on a big gourmet plate, and plated up fine dining style with the sauce in puree form and spread around the plate. This dish wins all the points in creativity and is a dish no one would forget. 

Cold pucuk paku (fern shoot). 

Pucuk paku has always been one of my favourite vegetables, but I have only eaten it cooked lemak style, in sweet, thick, curry-like gravy. LYJ serves pucuk paku cold, as a salad, with a sour dressing.

It is a refreshing dish. The pucuk paku was fresh and crunchy, and there were deep fried onions to add more crunchy bits to the dish. The only problem I have with the dish is that it should have been served first, as an appetiser instead of coming last, as a dessert substitute. Nonetheless, this is not a problem with the dish per se but the service.

All in all, LYJ is a restaurant far above the average Chinese-Malaysian restaurant, but to call it the best would be unfair since there are restaurants which serve certain dishes better than what they have. However, to have so many dishes that are creative and atypical of the genre does have its merits in my book. It seems to me that LYJ is not only a restaurant but a place where the passion for cooking meets the courage of invention. Even the dishes that are typical of the genre deserve the highest praise, especially the pork belly with salted fish.

I foresee myself dining here very often whenever I am in town. It may not be the absolute best, but it is definitely first class.

Restoran LYJ

PT 11, Jalan Perkhidmatan,

Kampung Baru,

47000 Sungai Buloh,Selangor Darul Ehsan.

03 6140 2678

No Google Maps. This place is literally in the middle of nowhere.